Time Capsule(s) & Time Machine = No connection

I'm a confused individual at the moment, so bear with me:
I've used a Time Capsule (TC) as my back-up drive (not as a router) for 4+ years without a hitch.
Yesterday I got a message from Time Machine (TM) that there was not enough space on my 500GB TC for a back-up. After excluding some folders for back-up, I told TM to do a back-up. The ensuing back-up proceeded but quickly became glacially slow, and then didn't finish backing up. I don't recall the error message(s).
So I did a soft reset, then a hard reset, and then a factory reset. Now the amber light flashes slowly, and Airport Utility can't find the TC.
Knowing I'd need a larger back-up drive eventually anyway, today I bought a new 3TB Time Capsule. Plug it in, Airport Utility can't find it, and its amber light flashes slowly.
It shouldn't matter that I'm not using the Time Capsule(s) as a router, right? They're just AC plugged in, no other wired connections.
Where do I start to troubleshoot this? Is it possible there's some problem with my iMac?

To set up the new device to work wireless, you need to configure it.
Once it is seen set up, then it would not need wires. You could use
a wireless portable computer or any other, it will backup your files
via Time Machine, and also go online for web access.
It is designed to work as wi-fi router for the internet, so if it is to be a
primary access point and gateway to the internet as well as backup
then it would need to be wired. Unless it could be set up as a repeater.
Some models of AirPort Extreme can be used as repeaters, too. Yet
a link between the cable or ISP box and this device on setup is an
Ethernet cable. As a primary unit, it should be left that way.
For security purposes, one may need to consider how these are set
up, and a wired connection to the Time Capsule may be better if it
is to be a center of backup and internet access, or shared wireless
between several Macs, devices, and the internet.
Once the new device is set up and it backs up for the first time, you
have to be sure it will be seen by any computer or iDevice using it.
This is where you'd find out if it was set up correctly. It should work.
You may have seen the setup info here, so that's one way to see
if it can work, then check any other options; or change settings.
Given the new unit also features faster connection speeds and options
plus also is a closer match to recent OS X system updates, it would
be a natural to connect it as primary internet point, too. As described:
•Setting up TC for the first time: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1178
•AirPort Time Capsule - Support database:
http://www.apple.com/support/airport/timecapsule/
Sorry about the lack of info on how-to, I tend to do backups manually
and hope to do full backup (boot capable) clones as time permits...!
Good luck!

Similar Messages

How can I resolve OSStatus Error 13 on Time Machine when connecting to Time Capsule on Lion?

This is a semi-rhetorical question: I have now resolved this for my own setup, However, there was very little information on this error in the fora, so I thought I would post my experience with getting a Time Capsule (2TB, 3rd edition) to work on OS X Lion after the AFP/NAS debacle.
Background
My third party LaCie Big Disk Network* NAS died when Lion came out.
I could access neither Time Machine nor the drive through Finder.
The excellent thread on "Lion: Connecting to legacy (pre-Lion) AFP services - and Mac OS X (server)" (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3258472?start=0&tstart=0) allowed me to access the drive via Finder to save my files but, of course, Time Machine was still broken. That guide showed you how to lift security restrictions on AFP shares.
For reasons explained below [disclaimer: rant follows] I decided to ditch the LaCie and purchased a Time Capsule.
The Problem
Time Capsule connected via DSL to the net and set up a wifi network with a green light.
The "Data" mount for Time Machine was visible in Time Machine, but trying to access it showed the following error:
The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error 13)
Trying to open the share in Finder using the appropriate credentials showed:
The operation cannot be completed because the original item for "Data" can't be found
Things that didn't work
Turning lots of things on and off
Resetting the DSL modem, the router (Time Capsule), the computer
Repairing permissions
What DID work
Undoing the modifications made during the process of mounting the old LaCie NAS
To do this, open Terminal and enter:
sudo -s
chmod o+w /Library/Preferences
cd /Library/Preferences/
rm com.apple.AppleShareClient.plist*
(from https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3258472?start=0&tstart=0)
Then restart your computer.
This worked for me. I don't UNDERSTAND any of why this did or didn't affect the computer, so please don't ask me to explain how it worked or what else to try. I thought I would just put this out there for knowledge.
* LaCie have really got my goat. Unlike other manufacturers who seem to be trying to provide support for their drives (Western Digital MyBook), LaCie have stated outright that they will not be providing any updates for their Big Disk Network. This is a hard drive they describe as a "Professional NAS", though I can't think of many professions where £200 backups need to be replaced every two years to keep abreast of security updates. In their defence, the drive is no longer manufactured… but, IMHO, I don't see that as sufficient reason to abandon all support or updates immediately. Boo! On the upside, loving my shiny new refurb Time Capsule.

Our true genius died a little while ago.
But up to Mountain Lion he has tones of info ..
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
Try some of the section C solutions.
It is more than likely network.
BUT do the following.
1. Install the widget A1
2. Reset TM, A4
3. Verify the backup, A5
4. Reboot the whole network and restart it in order.. modem.. TC.. MB Air.
No luck to this point.
Tell us exactly what OS you have.
The worst possible is Mavericks. If you are trying to connect to old backups after an upgrade it is hopeless.
I recommend you start over.
Simply wipe the TC and start afresh.
Manually mount the TC disk in Mavericks so you are sure it is working. Tell us if you run into trouble.
Most important.. in wireless network preferences are you running ipv6 in link-local mode.

Time machine not connecting with new time capsule

Will someone please help? I have just recently joined the MAC family and purchased a new Macbook along with a new time capsule. It took unbelievably long to get things running (ie wireless access with 2 other PC based desktops and a PC laptop and shared network printing with an USB connected printer to the time capsule)- I thought macs were supposed to be easy?! Anyways, the only thing that I cannot figure out is how to properly set up time machine. I follow the instructions and turn time machine on, choose my backup disc (which is the time capsule), but when I click "use for backup", I keep getting the "connection failed- server may not exist or it is not operational at this time. Check the server name or IP address and your network connection and try again" What am I supposed to do now? What is there to check when all of the other computers are able to access the internet (including the Macbook) and wirelessly print. The stupid timecapsule router function is working but the backup portion of it is not???!!!! Please help someone who is about to give the mac and the time capsule to the first person walking down the street - it has been a frustrating 2 days.

First, restart the Time Capsule by disconnecting the power adapter and reconnecting it. If other devices on the network can see it, you can skip this step.
From the menu bar, select
 ▹ System Preferences... ▹ Network
Click the lock icon in the lower left corner of the window and authenticate to unlock the settings, if necessary. Click the Advanced button, then select the TCP/IP tab in the sheet that drops down. Click
Renew DHCP lease.
Try again to back up.
If you still can't, open the Time Machine preference pane and delete the TC from the list of backup destinations. You may have to unlock the settings by clicking the lock icon in order to do this. Then add it back.

Time Machine loses connection to new Time Capsule

My new 2TB time capsule (replacing my older 2tb time capsule) has been giving me some issues. Trying to backup a couple macs w/ Time Machine. Pretty straightforward stuff, nothing too crazy.
A few facts:
- Running 10.8.4 on both macs
- Most recent firmware update has been applied to TC
- Sleep mode disabled on both macs
When I reboot my computer and start the process of backing up, everything works normally. Then after a certain period of time (varies) it will lose the connection to the disk and the backup fails. This happens every time on each mac. Both machines are still connected to the router, they just lost a connection to the drive. If I navigate to the drive in finder, sometimes it will reconnect. Other times it will not.

A little more info: I isolated the problem to when the disk is being accessed by more than one device at a time. When this happens, the disk gets temporarily disconnected.
Is your new TC the latest AC model.. or Gen4?
The new TC, about a week old.
So this is a few hours or a few days?
Minutes.
Is the TC main router or bridge in the network?
Main router. No other bridges.
Have you reset to factory the TC and redo the setup.. use all short names.. no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
For everything.. TC name wireless names disk share name.
Yes to everything.
If you can test with ethernet.. does the problem still occur??
I have not tested this, might be next step.
Thanks

Time machine loose connection to Time Capsule

I have recently purchased a time capsule and have failed to maintain a connection form a number of Mac to the time capsule for more than a couple of days before all machines fail to make connection.
The issue impacts all machines on the network at the same time. Easy fix is to power cycle the time machine.
The time capsule is used on a network to extend a wireless network created by an airport extreme which in turn has a single wired connection to an ADSL router (Netgear DG834G - that has the wireless turned off). The airport is running two different SSID one on 5Ghz and the other on 2.4Ghz to provide a 2.4Ghz wireless network for a Tiger iBook which due to an issue with Tiger and combined 5 and 2.4Ghz SSID. A tiger machine will kernel panic when using a dual frequency network. The time capsule extends on the 5Ghz SSID but does so on both frequencies. The time capsule has no wired connections and relies on the wireless traffic direct and via the airport extreme. The is also an airport express on the same SSID as the time capsule to provide connection to AV equipment.
Has anyone come across these symptons or know of any inherent issue with the configuration I have. The symptons look more like software/networking issues than hardware problems with the time capsule.
I have reviewed the logs from the time capsule and there is nothing unusual. The various machines show AFP logins and closing message as time machine goes about its work. When disk looses connection there will be no closing message for the AFP sessions. The can involve several machines having open AFP sessions with the disk fails to respond.
There are "Connection accepted from" IP6 address which are strange given that there should be no IP6 on the network. Both the Airport Extreme and Time Capsule have IPv6 setting as link-local only.
All machines with the exception of the Tiger iBook are running 10.7.2.

There is a networking bug between the TC and lion in particular although it can affect SL as well. The latest update to the TC fimware made it worse.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/17118907#17118907
Read the thread backwards as we developed better understanding of the issue.
As you can see there is some inability to maintain sessions.
The other bug is the loss of the dhcp info. ie the Mac has lost the link between the TC IP address and its name.
Your wireless setup will make it more difficult than most.. but try and lock the IP of the TC.
Unmount the TC in finder.. and remount it from menu, go .. go to server.. afp://ipaddressofTC
If the IP address is locked then this may help.. until Apple work out some better networking.

Time Machine and connecting an external HD

Hi,
Sorry if this topic was already posted. I searched for an anwer, but could find it.
I have:
Macbook
Mobile External HD
I bought a time capsule and am waiting till the postmans divers it!
I use my External HD to store my iTunes music and library on and also my photos and iPhoto library.
I want to use my Time Capsule to make backups of my Macbook without using annoying wires...
If I connect my external HD to the Time Machine, will I be able to connect with my iTunes Library and iPhoto Library? In this way I do not have to connect the External HD to my MacBook and am completely wireless within my home network (correct?).
Once I leave my house with my Macbook, can I disconnect the external HD from the time capsule and take the HD with my Macbook to wherever and still be able to use the iTunes library?

Jaap74 wrote:
hmmm.....just checked.
It says: MBR and Fat32....
well, well, what a coincidence we raised that issue
So I guess I need to reconfigure my HD. I will definitely need some assistance, if you don't mind.
i don't, that's what this forum is for
I have another external HD that I can use to stall my files on, which currently are on the HD. What I am afraid of is that if I move my files to the other HD, reconfigure and set them back, that iTunes doesn't recognize my library (and same with iPhoto).
don't you worry. format that 2nd HD for Mac using disk utility. under the volume scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. click on the partition button and wait until the process has completed. This will format the drive for OS X
next follow the instructions here and here to move the lib/folder to the (temporary) external HD
now you can format the main HD (using the instructions above) and move the lib/folder again using the same instructions. this may be a little time consuming but you will avoid major problems in the end !

Time Machine Simultaneous Connection Limitations

I am using a Time Capsule as both a Time Machine backup and a file server over the network. I seem to be hitting a 10-client limit on my simultaneous filer server connections.
Is this related to the 10-Client limit on Personal File Sharing in Mac OS X?

No. The only limitation is the capacity of the backup drive.

Time Machine backup connection problem...

I keep getting an error message when trying to connect to my back up disk:
"The server may not exist or it is unavailable at this time. Check the server name or IP address, check your network connection, and then try again."
This is all of a sudden - out of the blue. I tried renaming my Airport Time Capsule and I tried resetting it to "default" settings - no luck. It connects fine to extend my network (Airport Extreme) and connect to the internet. Time Machine sees it but can't connect to it for backups... Help.

See if you can mount the TC disk in finder.
Even do it manually .. use Go from top menu.. Connect to server.. and type in the address to the TC.
AFP://TCname or AFP://TCIPaddress where you replace with actual TC name or actual TC IP address.
If that fails then you need to do a factory reset of the TC and give it a new name..
Follow correct standards and use a name that is short.. 2-20 characters.. no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
If you are using wireless use ethernet. Do the connection in full isolation from the rest of the network. You can plonk the TC right next to your imac.
Put the TC in router mode.. that is default after a factory reset.
Then reset you TM to access it.. this will do nothing to the existing backups. But one reason you can get the problem is the backups are corrupted.
See Pondini info A4 to reset TM and A5 to verify the backups.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
A1 is also useful to get a bit more info out of obscure TM messages.

HT201514 I recently updated the Imac software, now i can't see my Wd back up drive in 'time machine' Its connected via firewire and i can see its connected if i check firewire on my mac.

I recently updated my IMac software to the latest version, now i can't see by WD back up drive in time machine. its conected to the firewire port ok and i can see it if i check firewire connections. The drive works ok on an old windows laptop. Any ideas.

leedssparky wrote:
Is it possible that i did this whilst updating the OS software whilst leaving the WD drive connected.
It's a good idea to eject and disconnect external HDs, just in case, but that shouldn't cause a problem.
Why when setting up time capsule, does it only look for WIFI drives through airport.
I think you're confusing Time Machine (the backup software) with a Time Capsule (Apple hardware combining a wireless router and HD). Unless you have a Time Capsule you want to back up to, there's no point to clicking the Set Up Time Capsule button, if that's what you mean:
I've attached the Firewire bus from system profiler, dont understand why i can see it there but not in TM.
There seems to be some sort of problem with the drive, since Disk Utility thinks it's fixed, but immediately the problem returns (per the first sample you posted).
How old is the drive?
If it's within the warranty period, you might want to contact WD or the place you bought it.

Time Machine network connection problems. Scary.

I have several problems with the Time Machine backup system. I do not know if they are based on the same basic problem or if these are different problems. Therefor I will describe the whole complex here:
I have a setup with 2 computers, a Mac Pro and a Laptop Pro, and 2 different backup discs (2TB Lacie backup disc), all of this connected to the router with ethernet except the laptop which goes with wifi. The plan was to have one disc to back up each computer.
Initially I got the setup to work. But after a while, both computers says that there is a problem finding its backup disc. This happens without any changes in setup, passwords or physical connections. Sometimes I am able to connect to the backup disc by typing in the ip address or otherwise, and sometimes that doesn't work either. When I finally (sometimes) get contact between machine and its backup disc, the Time Machine panel shows "no previous backup". Pretty scaring. All my work is on those discs (should be).
Another problem is, for the Mac Pro machine, that it sometimes says "not enough free space on disc for backup". At the same time, Time Machine is set up to delete older backup versions as soon as it is needed. How does that fit together?
Today I bought a new and expensive router (Netgear 600), just in case it was something wrong with the old one. But I still have the same problems.
Any enlightening on this situation is very much appreciated!
Thanks

Hi all,
To fix the Time Capsule network backup error, I removed the 5GHZ band from my AEB network.
After that it backed everything up all fine.

Synol DSM 5.0 Time Machine not Connecting

Time Machine working on 2013 iMac with DS213j NAS and DSM 5.0, but 2007 iMac only connected to Time Machine once, and fails now.
24-inch Mid 2007 - 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, Memory 3 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
DS213j 4tb Raid - one iMac (2013) using NAS as Time Machine backup and works fine, mid 2007 Time Machine starts to connect to the Time Machine share and "prepares" but never completes task. So one iMac works fine, and I did somehow get the 2007 to backup once on the NAS, but fails now no matter what I do.

Solution which worked for me is at:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1809841&tstart=0
I have to start a new backup.
Unfortunately "old" sparsebundle become obsolete, as a new name means new full back up.
Trash it or archive it (to external USB connected to Time Capsule using AirPort Utility ).
Now everything is working well.

Time machine problem connecting to server x.local.

I've recently upgraded my home computers to Mavericks (2 mini servers and 4 macs). I run time machine services on one of the servers and everything seemed to be working fine (macs succesfully backing up as scheduled, etc).
Well... this week I needed to restore some files from backup. While I can connect to the server when booting normally to Mac HD, some of the files I need to recover are in use when doing so. So I booted to the recovery partition on and selected Time Machine from the menu. After I selected the server from which I wanted to restore, I was prompted to enter a username and password. Upon entering, I was greeted with the message "There was a problem connecting to the server 'x.local.' Check server name or IP address and try again".
I've tried using a variety of user accounts (including root and other admins). I'm also able to ping the server using Terminal by name and address. But alas, no luck.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance, Dave

If you open AirPort Utility........can you see the old Time Capsule?
If yes, click on the old Time Capsule icon, then click Edit in the smaller window that appears
Click the Base Station menu (up at the top of the screen where the File, Edit, Window and Help menus reside
Click Show Passwords
Time Machine is looking for either the Base Station password (which may or may not be the same as the Wireless password)....or....the Disk Password.....if you set up a Disk Password that was separate from the Base Station or Wireless password.

I have moved to rural Texas USA and have Exede satellite internet (only source available). A time machine is connected to the Exede satellite box. Besides the time machine I have one Airport Express. Both devices show function. Daily lose internet service

I have moved to rural Texas USA. Only ISP is Exede, a satellite service. I connect with a time machine and an Airport Express. Daily service gets dropped and requires disconnecting and reconnecting the time machine to the satellite box. The dealer is working the problem without success. He is not very familiar with Apple products. Any solutions?

You are going to need to do a few things. And there might not be a simple resolution at all.
I would ring the ISP again and ask if they support any routers.. because in the end, replacing the router might cost you $100 but save a lot of pain. You can keep the extreme for wireless connections to those devices that work ok with it.
I would also note, the issue might not be extreme but Mountain Lion.
Do a search .. many people have experienced issues with the wifi refusing to join when it wakes. I have experienced it myself. There was no problem with the wireless.. it was some sleep issue in the laptop.
But one thing I would do, on the last screen shot you gave me..
Where the ip range is 10.0
Please change that to 192.168
Because of the private addressing used by the ISP.. you will run into issues with routing.
When you change the value.. you will need to then reboot everything.. and everything will change to 192.168.1.x addressing. This is important.
Secondly, change wireless names to all meet the lowest common denominator.. ie SMB protocol.
So names that are short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
I recommend you change all names to that spec.
C9 here gives some more info for why this is important, although the specific issue is different.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
Thirdly I want you to install 5.6 utility unless you are running Snow Leopard or Lion still this is a bit tricky. But only 5.6 can access the Extreme's log. Also you can see the actual wireless connection graphs.
All of this was chucked away with v6.
How to load 5.6 into ML.
1. Download 5.6 for Lion.
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1482
Click to open the dmg but do not attempt to install the pkg.. it won't work anyway.
2. Download and install unpkg.
http://www.timdoug.com/unpkg/
Run unpkg on the desktop.. it is very simple.. drag the AirPortUtility56.pkg file over to unpkg.. and it will create a new directory of the same name on the desktop.. drill down.. applications utilities .. there lo and behold is Airport utility 5.6 .. drag it to your main utilities directory or just run it from current location.
You cannot uninstall 6.1 (now 6.2 if you updated) so don't try.. and you cannot or should not run them both at the same time.. so just ignore the toyland version.. the plastic hammer.. and start using 5.6.. a real tool.
For screen shots see this post.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4668746?tstart=0

Time Machine lost connection after Lion update

Wanted to see if anyone lost the time machine connection after the latest 10.7.1 update released yesterday? My system couldnt find the drive for it and I had to re-set my time machine and then I could connect.

Some more info might help one of us with possible steps to resolve your problem. Is the external drive firewire, usb or network through airport, port-powered, etc?
What basic troubleshooting did you try?
Does it show up in System profiler? If it does there may not be too serious a problem.
While there are some who've had problems with the latest updates many of us have had no problems but we do empathise with those who have.
Neville

10.5.2 won't boot if Time Machine is connected

After updating to 10.5.2, the system just hangs in the blue screen and won't completely boot to login screen.
Until I unplugged the firewire that's connecting to the WD external HD for Time Machine, then it continues to boot and everything would be fine after that.
But every time I reboot or start up my MBP, it would just hang until I unplug the firewire to TM.
And yes, the overall boot time has at least doubled, I have 4GB RAM, MBP 2.4GH, 320GB HD (new WD) and it is VERY slow booting up.
Apple is feeling more and more like Microsoft..... I dumped Bill Gates for Steve and this is what steve gave me?

Start with these:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=88338
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20041221081432908

Time Capsule(s) & Time Machine = No connection

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